Greencastle-Antrim defeats James Buchanan at Tip-Off Tournament
By Ben Destefan
GREENCASTLE -- Madison Sweitzer scored a career-high 15 points to lead Greencastle-Antrim to a 42-31 girls’ basketball victory over James Buchanan in Friday’s opening round of the Franklin County Tip-Off Tournament hosted by G-A.
Lydia Crist and Jordan Yeager both added nine points for the Blue Devils, who will play Chambersburg for the girls’ title Saturday night around 7 p.m.
Defensively, G-A forced JB into frequent turnovers which allowed for opportunities on the other end. Despite a difficult night shooting, the duo of Sweitzer and Yeager hit some big shots in key moments to secure the win.
“Sweitzer really willed us to victory there down the stretch, so she definitely gets the game ball,” Blue Devil coach Mike Rhine said. “I was also very happy with Jordan tonight. She’s gaining confidence every time she plays, and we need that from her. We didn’t shoot that well as a whole, but if we can hold teams to 30 points, we’ll be in games.”
A 3-ball by Yeager paired with a steal and finish from Crist pushed G-A’s lead to double digits early in the second quarter. Led by Maggie Strawoet in the paint, the Rockets remained well within striking distance, trailing just 24-18 at halftime.
Points were hard to come by in the third quarter, as the Blue Devils carried a 30-23 advantage to the fourth. Here, a tough bucket from Sweitzer and a baseline jumper by Yeager extended the cushion back to 10 with five minutes remaining.
Continuing to battle, Reilly Heinbaugh knocked down a 3 before a lay-in by Abby Mackling cut JB’s deficit to 36-31. Following a timeout, Sweitzer converted another chance underneath ahead of Ashley Noblit finishing in the lane to essentially put the game out of reach.
“It’s going to take a collective effort, and tonight was a step in that direction,” Rhine said. “We’ll have our hands full tomorrow night against Chambersburg, but we’ve given ourselves a chance. That’s all you can ask for.”
Strawoet paced the Rockets with 12 points and Mackling added seven. James Buchanan faces Waynesboro in the girls’ consolation game Saturday at 4 p.m.
Sweitzer finished one rebound shy of a double-double, registering nine, while Ashley True brought down a team-high 10 boards. Crist contributed six assists in the win.
G-A is trying to win the program’s fifth straight Tip-Off championship.
